August 2017 - Capko & Morgan

The power of you front desk to influence the patient experience – and your reputation

One of our previous clients decided to move on from her group practice to set up her own practice. After being in town for just a few short years it would be important for her to have a following of loyal patients. For this reason, I decided to research how patients were rating her, and discovered her average rating with several major sites was a 4+ stars. Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it? I decided to dig deeper and read some of the reviews. 4 out of 5 had wonderful things to say, but the one critical rating was brutal and contrary to the glowing comments other patients made about this fine doctor. The strong negative comments by this single reviewer related to his experience with the front office. I suspect this could have been avoided if the front office team took pride in their work and understood that a major part of their role is to greet each patient properly and make sure their needs are met, as well as preparing them for the visit. Such comments as: “I waited an hour in the reception and was completely ignored; the receptionist was rude and acted inconvenienced; I was a new patient and no one seemed to care” reflect a patient that feels discounted and gets upset before ever being escorted to the exam room to meet the physician. Unfortunately, it’s not rare to hear patients complaining about the way they are treated at the doctor’s office and how poorly it compares to their experience at Starbucks or their local bank. It’s time for medical practices to implement some training standards that put patients first. It starts with creating a culture where physicians and managers believe their staff is their number one customer. Staff will only treat patients as well as they are treated by their superiors and the respect and care they are given. A practice will not thrive unless the work environment is one of respect and appreciation – and it starts at the top! Hire good people and treat them right Be selective in who you hire. The

By Judy Capko|2022-01-01T22:51:48-08:00August 28th, 2017|

Improving front desk performance

Chronic problems at the front desk are a way of life for medical practices in most specialties, and it seems there to little effort resolve these problems. The painful reality is that the demands on the front office are often unrealistic. It’s unlikely that the staff can handle a high volume of inbound phones calls at the same time they are helping patients check in and out, updating patient information, collecting patient payments, scheduling follow-up appointments, and answering patients’ myriad questions – and do it all well. No wonder a recent MGMA survey reveals that the front office has the highest rate of staff turnover in the typical medical office! Front office staff is set up to fail These tasks all demand more attention and time than your front office staff have. Since there is never enough time to give any task the attention it requires, front office staff is set up to fail. There is never enough time to get the work done and give patients the service they expect and deserve. It’s time to get realistic about front office workflow Start by understanding the distribution of tasks in the front office. Instead of front staff being generalists that all do same thing, divide the work in a way that makes each of them an expert and gives them sufficient time to manage their workload. Study the job description(s) for members of the front office team and diagnose workflow. Include the team in the process of improving the function of the front office. Compare the written job descriptions to the actual tasks and responsibilities of the position. Probe staff to get their input about workflow and what happens during the work day that makes the job difficult and demanding. Map out the current workflow, identifying bottlenecks and what causes them. Seek to divide and group tasks sensibly. For example, doesn’t it make more sense for patient inbound calls to be taken away from the front desk, so the patients can be checked in and out without interruptions that irritate patients or allow patients to slip out the door without

By Judy Capko|2022-01-01T22:51:48-08:00August 2nd, 2017|

Monthly Archives: August 2017

The power of you front desk to influence the patient experience – and your reputation

Improving front desk performance